1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to a device for cleaning vehicular lug nuts and the surfaces of receptacles of hub caps and rims, the receptacles receiving lug nuts or lug nut covers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Wheels of vehicles, and particularly automobiles, may be provided with hub caps having spaced receptacles containing lug nut wheel covers, appearing as lug nuts, or rims with spaced receptacles into which are received the exterior ends of lug nuts. Cleaning the lug nuts and surfaces of the receptacles has been somewhat difficult because of the tight clearances between the lug nuts and covers, and the surfaces of the receptacles. The tight clearances do not permit finger or standard cleaning brush entry into the receptacles and around the lug nuts. Also, the receptacle sizes differ on the various designs of hub caps and rims. Some of the receptacles are close in size to the lug nuts and covers while others provide wider clearances. There have been no known suitable devices provided which would allow cleaning of the various sized receptacles and lug nuts and lug nut covers used on today""s vehicles. Several patented cleaning devices have been disclosed without being presented in the market place. U.S. Pat. No. 4,117,566 discloses a lug nut cleaning device which fails to provide for cleaning the surfaces of varying sized receptacles, of hub caps or rims. The device of U.S. Pat. No. 4,117,566 appears to be limited to use with single sized lug nuts, requiring several sized devices to accommodate the various sized lug nuts and receptacles. Limitations of the cleaning device of U.S. Pat. No. 4,117,566 would also apply to the complex structure of the wheel lug cleaning tool of U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,763.
The present invention provides a simple and effect device for cleaning lug nuts and the surfaces of hub cap and rim receptacles of various sizes and dimensions. It is configured to be emplaced within the receptacles to generally surround the lug nuts or lug nut covers, rotated or reciprocated to scour the external surfaces, and to be expanded, if need be, to engage and scour the surfaces of receptacles.
The present invention provides a device for cleaning the outer surfaces of the vehicular lug nuts and hub cap and rim receptacles which receive actual lug nuts or lug nut covers. The preferred embodiment of the cleaning device includes a generally circular base member on which are pivotably secured a plurality, four for example, of radially spaced, elongated scouring resilient fingers defining an inner socket sized and shaped to receive lug nuts or lug nut covers of various sizes. An elongated shaft is supported by the base member and is reciprocally moveable within the socket defined by the scouring fingers. A scouring pad is secured to the inner end of the shaft and would be urged into scouring engagement of the free end of a lug nut or lug nut cover. The scouring pad is shaped and sized to engage the inner surfaces of the scouring fingers to urge them radially outwardly when the shaft member is axially moved into the confines of the socket, whereby the exterior surfaces of the scouring fingers engage for scouring the surface of a hub cap or rim receptacle.
The basic structure of the cleaning device of the present invention is simple in construction, relatively inexpensive to produce, and uncomplicated to use. The scouring fingers are simply inserted over the lug nut or lug nut covers, the device rotated or reciprocated to scour the external surfaces while the scouring pad cleans the outer, free end of the lug nut or lug nut covers. The external surfaces of the scouring fingers might at the same time engage the inner surfaces of the receptacle or they are scouring the lug nut or lug nut If the size of the receptacle requires the shaft would be axially moved inwardly to urge outward forces on the scouring fingers to move them radially outwardly into scouring engagement with the surface of the receptacle. The surfaces may be scoured and cleaned by rotating or reciprocating the device in place in the hub cap or rim receptacle.
Various other advantages, details, and modifications of the present invention will become apparent as the following description of a certain present preferred embodiment proceeds.